Pattern mechanism for knitting machines



June 21, 1949. E, J, BERGER ETAL 2,473,503

PATTERN MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Jan. 3, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet l IV E T 39 4;; T

4621 Q 55 |Y INVENTORS.

Emil l Beige/w HowardK/Verb A TTORNEYS.

June 21, 1949. E. J. BERGER ETAL 2,473,503

PATTERN MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 3, 1948 I NVENTORS.' Emzllbezgezw ATTORNEYS.

June 21, 1949. E. J. BERGER ETAL 2,473,503

PATTERN MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES Filed Jan. 5, 1948 v 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 I S'III /5:

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WITNESSES INVENTORSI 5177171581 6P3:

A TTORN E Y5 June 21, 1949. E. J. BERGER ETAL PATTERN MECHANISM FOR KNITTING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Jan. 3, 1948 mp6 5 WW n NW N E R VBd m Wlm T A 2% WITNESSES Patented June 21, 1949 PATTERN MEGHANISM :FOR; KNITTING MACHINES Emil J. -Bergerand Howard K. West, Lansdale,

Pa.'.,l assignors-tw Dexdale Hosiery- Mills; Lansdale,Pa.;;a,.corporation of Pennsylvania- Application January 3, 1948,.Serial-Noa409m Claims-. (01. 66-154) This invention relates to pattern-mechanisms for knitting mach-ines;particularly straight knittirig-machines o1 "the= Cotton""-typesuch as are common-lvused in the commercial production of ful-l' fashioned stocking blanks and--the like;

wherein the timing and functioning of various sub mech-anisms -duringeach operative cycle of the=-machines-is governed, through intermediate conneotions,-by control elements in the -form of fingersiarrangedt'o be actuatect by cam projec tionslon endless timingtehains-as the latterpass about intermittentlyrotated sprocket "wheelsr' Suclr.:mechanisms are ordinari-lyprovided with facilities -whereby-the chains maybe-- reset" to starting:1positionaftevstoppages of the-machines I beforeacompletion of normal operative cycles upon detection 2 of X imperfections in the stocking blanks zunder =-production;-

Witlrc controls mechanisms-'- as -heretofore usually constructed, such-'resettingswf the" chains were attendeds by actuation of the fingers with consequentdisadvantageousdisturbance of the sibleza. of realization. inl practice as hereinafter more fiullyudisclosed; througnprovisioaof simple and: inexpensiveumeans capable of ready' incorporatiomin zpatterna mechanisms-oi existent knit ting machinesawhereby the iin'gers canbe bodily" retracteds to :a position: beyond the range of "the timingiichai-nsxduring;the :resettirigs:so that-they' 1 can be. accomplished IlWithOut incidental :dist-urb ance of the sub-mechanisms:individually con trolled by the: fingers.

Qther objects =.and attendant advantages willappear .tfrom ithenfollowing i detailed description of theattached drawings;- wherein-Fige '1 is a frag-n entaryv view in front elevation of a pattern mechanism Z-fOIpHr straightrfull aiashioned stock ing. sknitting machine conveniently embodyingour invention, and-ugenerally; ofi.:;thetype-dis rlietlg3Howie and Charles .QiKrieble on December Fig, 2; is a fragmentaryzhorizontal section taken as indicated by theangledarrowsalhJI in Fig. '1.

Fin ,is a. fragmentary: views-in end elevation lookingaaseindicated bysthe angledarrows III- Eigzl. 1, l.

partsxrof thea pattern: control mechanism in their ynormal positions.

2. 4 Fig.5 is a transverse section taken as indicated by. angled arrows AV =V with the fingers retracted from active position relative to the timing chain.

Fig; 6 is a fragmentary vvview in transversesection taken as indicated by-the angled arrows VI+VI in Fig 3.

Fig.1? is a fragmentary view in end velevation looking as indicated ,bythe angled VII",-VI'I in.

Fig: 1.-

Fig; 8 is a detaiksection takenas indicated in the angled arrowssVIIIVIII in Fig. 2.

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary view in section taken asyindicatedgbetween (angled arrowsin IX.IX

in'Fig'. "1, and

Figs. 10, ll, 12 are perspectiveviews of differentcomponent parts of the means by which the fingers are supported so asto be retractable fromthe timing chain.

With more. detailed reference first, more particularlyhtofligs,le5l of these, illustrations, the

numeral 1.15 designates thev endless timing chain of the pattern, mechanism which .is trained about.

a sprocket drum. 1-6 free ,on,a.shaft .ll extending through-a bearing boss IS on an end frameFlS 1 of the knitting machineh. The chain it is .constrained to travel in a definitecircuit-by. a num:

ber oftidler wheelsincludinga toothed {Wheel =21] and s'everalzpllain Wheels, of which latter two arev indicated at 2| .jand 22in Figs. 3 and 5. Secured to or integrally formed" with thelsprocket drum I6 atone end thereof. is a ring ofratchet teeth 23.; Bynmeanshof av pawl. (notpillustrated the ratchet teeth 23.nare picked ina .well. known. Way to intermittently rotatethehsprocket drum ltin theidirection of theuarrowinlFig 4. Associated with the sprocket vdrum. I 6 and disposed alongside it is the usualacamv drum 25:which;is also freeon theshait ll and which; moreover; is arranged, to be independently rotated intermittently likewise insa Well-known manner through pickingtof ratchet. teeth .--26 ithereon, by another pawlenot-shownv Since-thecam drum 25 is not directly concerned iWith .ourizinvention, it need not be: further referredrton As :usuaLthe chain l5 camies. camaproiections or Ju s '2 l livhich are spaced transversely :of 1 said a chain and arranged at zsuitable intervalslengthwise thereof; In passingabout the-sprocketdrum 16 the cam lugs 21 -normally actat"different t times upon control elements, e. "fingers 32 -36 which are freely mounted fowindependent' pivotal movement on a horizontal rod 31-"arranged at a level above the v sprocket-drum. As; shown in-jFi'gfl thefingers 3236 have upward arm extensions for connection, through interposed parts (not illustrated), to the various submechanisms of the knitting machine which they are designed to individually govern. Movement of the fingers 3236 toward the sprocket chain I is limited by engagement of stop projections 38 thereon with a fixed abutment bar 39 extending inwardly from the side frame l9, such engagement being yieldingly maintained by means of individual springs 40 in compression between the stop projections of the individual fingers and said bar as instanced in Fi 4.

Instead of being fixedly mounted as ordinarily heretofore, the pivot rod 31 for the fingers 32--36 is, in accordance with our invention, secured at its opposite ends in slide blocks 42 and 43 which are engaged in horizontal grooves of fixed guides 44 and 45 (all separately illustrated in perspective in Figs. 10 and 11) respectively secured by screws 46 and 41 to the end frame l9 and to a supplemental bearing bracket 48, see Figs. 1, 2 and 10.

Journalled at its opposite ends in the guides 44 and 45 is a shaft 49 which passes through longitudinal slots 42a and 43a in the slides 42 and 43 and which also receives rotative support in the end frame l9 and in the bracket 48 as clearly shown in Figs. 9 and 10; and aflixed to this shaft immediately inward of the guides, are collars 50 and 5| respectively having segmental or radial stop projections 50a, 5Ia for abutment by inwardly extending projections or lugs 42?) and 43b on the slides 42 and 43. Individual helical springs 52 in tension between anchorages on the guides 44 and 45 and the slides 42 and 43 draw outwardly upon the latter to keep the lugs of said slides in engagement with the stop projections 50a and 5m of the collars 5D and 5|. At its outer end the shaft 49 is provided with an operating hand crank 53 which is normally held in the position in which it is shown in Figs. 1-3, by the laterally offset projection 54a at the free end of a keeper element in the form of a flexible tongue 54.

Overthrow of the sprocket drum I6 as the 4 respectively afforded by the side frame 19 and the supplemental bracket 48. The lever 56 is urged counter-clockwise in Fig. 4 by a spring 58 compressed between it and another fixed abutment bar 59 on the frame l9 so that the brake shoe is normally maintained yieldingly in frictional contact with the sprocket drum It. In accordance with our invention, the brake lever 55 is arranged to be actuated through a link bar 60 from arm 6| on the manually operable shaft 49 previously referred to, said link bar being clevised at its lower end as best seen in Fig. 1 to loosely straddle the swinging end of said lever behind a terminal head 56a thereon.

For the purpose of resetting the timing chain l5 after stoppages of the knitting machine upon development of irregularities in the knitting, we have provided a separate hand crank 62 (Figs. 1-3) which is freely mounted on the outer end of the drum shaft l1, bein held in place on said shaft by a washer 63 and a screw 64 as shown in Fig. 6. To the boss 62a of the hand crank 62 is secured, by means of screws 65, a sprocket pinion 66 which through a chain 61, is connected with another sprocket pinion 68 at the outer end of the shaft 69 whereto the guide sprocket wheel 20 for the timing chain I5 is aflixed.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. In pattern control mechanism for knitting machines, a timing chain; a sprocket drum about which the chain is trained; a group of control elements normally positioned in the paths of cam projections on the chain; a slide on which the control elements are supported for independent movement; a fixed guide on which the slide is restricted to movement toward and away from the chain; spring means tending to retract the slide and thereby bodily withdraw the control elements out of the range of the cam projections on the chain when it is desired to reset the latter to starting position; a shaft with a radial stop projection for engaging the slide to keep it in normal position; and means on said shaft whereby it can be turned to permit retraction of the slide by the spring means.

2. In pattern mechanism for knitting machines, a timing chain; a sprocket drum about which the chain is trained; a group of control elements normally positioned in the paths of actuating cam projections on the chain; a slide on which the control elements are supported for independent movement; a fixed guide on which the slide is restricted to movement toward and away from the chain; spring means tending to retract the slide and thereby bodily withdraw the fingers out of the range of the cam projections on the chain when it is desired to reset the latter to starting position; a shaft with a radial stop projection for engaging the slide to keep it in normal position; a hand crank on the shaft whereby the latter can be turned to permit retraction of the slide by the spring means; and releasable means for holding the hand crank against movement with the slide in active position.

3. In pattern mechanism for knitting machines, a timing chain; an intermittently rotated sprocket drum about which the chain is trained; a brake member to prevent overthrow of the drum incident to impartation of step-wise rotative movements thereto; a group of independently movable control elements normally positioned in the paths of actuating cam projections on the chain; a movable support for the control elements; and means for retracting the support to bodily withdraw said elements out of the range of the cam projections on the chain when it is desired to reset latter to starting position, and for concurrently withdrawing the brake member from the sprocket drum.

4. In pattern mechanism for knitting machines, a timing chain; an intermittently rotated sprocket drum about which the chain is trained; a brake member to prevent overthrow of the drum incident to impartation of step-wise rotative movements thereto; a group of control elements chain when it is desired to reset the latter to starting position; and a connection operated from said shaft whereby the brake member is withdrawn from the sprocket drum concurrently with the retraction of the slide.

5. In pattern mechanism for knitting ma- 5 6 chines, a timing chain; a sprocket drum about which the chain is trained; a group of independ- REFERENCES CITED ently movable control elements normally posi- The following references are of record in the tioned in the paths of actuating cam projections fi Of this p t: on the chain; a supporting slide for the control elements and a fixed guide in which the slide is UNITED STATES PATENTS constrained to movement toward and away from Number Name Date the chain; and means for retracting the slide to 1, 9 ,231 Lawson Feb. 10, 1931 bodily withdraw said elements out of the range of ,045,617 Shelmire June 30, 1936 the chain when it is desired to reset the latter 10 2,070,762 Wainwright Feb. 16, 1937 to starting position. 2,169,979 Richter et a1 Aug. 15, 1939 EMIL J. BERGER, 2,295,597 Miller et a1 Sept. 15, 1942 HOWARD K. WEST. 2,3 4, 21 Lllhn July 13, 1943 

